Cracked
by xsmokeandmirrors
Summary: Tessa Neal abruptly left the WWE, shortly after the death of her husband. Three years later, she's returned, and no one has any clue where she's been or what she was doing, and she doesn't seem to be telling anyone. She manages to keep her distance from everyone, but a certain bearer of bad news plans on finding out where she was. {BNB x OC}
1. Chapter 1

**This is the intro for a new story, so it's really short. I haven't quite decided if I'm going to post it on here or not, but it's definitely getting posted on Wattpad.**

 **At the very end, that is a tweet. I just can't put the "at" sign on here. Also, I included Bleacher Report because they're pretty cool and I feel like they'd write articles about the things mentioned in this chapter.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own Tessa and Shane Neal. Everyone else belongs either to the WWE or themselves, and I'm sure Bleacher Report belongs to someone, just not me.**

* * *

 _"June 10, 2009; via Bleacher Report._

 _WWE Diva Tess, whose real name is Tessa York, married her longtime boyfriend, Shane Neal, today. Neal is a police officer for the Baltimore Police Department, and has been an officer for five years. Tessa and Shane married in Baltimore, inviting only family and close friends to the wedding. We at Bleacher Report would like to congratulate them on their marriage!"_

* * *

 _"October 22, 2012; via Bleacher Report._

 _WWE Diva Tess, whose real name is Tessa Neal, will not be on TV in the foreseeable future. In light of the recent death of her husband, Baltimore police officer Shane Neal, she has asked for an undisclosed amount of time off. Neal was killed in the line of duty on October 21. We at Bleacher Report send her our condolences and are keeping her in our thoughts during this time."_

* * *

 _"November 15, 2012; via Bleacher Report._

 _Former WWE Divas Champion Tess (real name Tessa Neal) has left the WWE. We wish her luck in her future plans."_

* * *

 _(Current Time):_

"Oh my God!" Michael Cole exclaimed. "Nikki and Brie are ganging up on AJ Lee! The Divas Champion is defenseless!"

"Nikki is supposed to be facing AJ on Sunday at Money in the Bank for the title," Jerry "The King" Lawler said. "How much do you think this has to do with that?"

"This is exactly why she's doing it!" JBL answered.

AJ was now in the corner, with Nikki and Brie hitting her with kick after kick.

 _"We're goin' down, down in an earlier round, and sugar, we're goin' down swinging!"_

Fall Out Boy blasted through the arena, and the crowd went nuts.

"Oh my God..." JBL muttered.

"Is that...?" Lawler trailed off.

"It is!" Cole exclaimed. "It's Tess! Tess has returned to WWE!"

Tess ran down the ramp and into the ring. The Bellas stopped their assault, sliding out of the ring. AJ stayed in the corner, unmoving. Tess asked for a microphone as the twins walked toward the ramp.

"Stay away from her," Tess growled into the microphone. She dropped it on the ground. She looked down at AJ and offered a hand, helping her up.

AJ held herself up with the ropes as Tess slid out of the ring. She got the Divas Championship, slid back into the ring, and handed it to AJ. Tess slid out of the ring again, and left.

* * *

 _"TessWWE: I'm back._

 _06/08/15"_


	2. Chapter 2

**I really need to update all my other stories, but this has been on my computer for a while, so I figured I'd post it.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone who has already reviewed, favorited, and followed! We're not even two chapters in and you guys already like the story! :)**

 **I use real names in this story. When they're in the ring, I'll use ring names, but other than that, it'll be real names.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I only own Tessa. Everyone else belongs to either the WWE or themselves.**

* * *

Tessa walked backstage, silently. Most of the roster were staring at the television screen in the back, both shocked and confused by what had just happened. They barely noticed her.

She slid into her locker room and locked the door.

However, she didn't realize she was being watched.

Stu Bennett stood at the TV screen, chatting with Colby Lopez, Glenn Jacobs, and Jon Good. He wasn't particularly close with any of them, but they were all standing near him, so he struck up a conversation. When he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he stopped listening to Jon and turned around.

Tess had just walked into a locker room. It wasn't the Divas locker room, because that one normally said _Divas_ in pink letters. This one had nothing on the door. He saw her brown hair flying behind her as she quickly walked into the room and shut the door.

Stu turned back around. "Hey, fellas."

"Stu, I'm in the middle of talking," Glenn stated, frowning.

"I know, but this is important," Stu said.

"What is it?" Colby asked.

"Where has Tess been?" Stu asked. "Why's everyone so shocked that she's back?"

"Well, first of all, it's Tessa," Glenn corrected. "She gets really mad when you call her Tess."

"You really don't know where she's been?" Colby asked.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Not everyone stalked her like you did, dude."

Stu raised an eyebrow. "You… _stalked_ her?"

Colby sighed. "No! I just followed her matches and storylines. I don't know, I thought she was really good."

"So, you know where she's been?"

"Well, I don't know the whole story," Colby said. "I'm sure Glenn does."

"She left about three years ago," Glenn explained. "I think you might have been injured, so you weren't around."

"Yeah, I think that's about right," Stu agreed.

"Well, her husband was a cop, and one day, he was killed," Glenn finished explaining. "She didn't show up to the next few shows, and then she just quit. I haven't heard from her since. I didn't even know she was returning tonight."

AJ finally appeared backstage. She walked up to them. "Have you guys seen Tess anywhere?"

"It's Tessa," Glenn corrected.

"She's in her locker room," Stu answered. "She didn't talk to anyone when she got back here. I don't think anyone besides me even noticed she went in there."

"Do you think she'd talk to me?" AJ asked.

"Probably not," Glenn said. Stu and Colby looked at him. "What? I'm just being honest."

Stu looked back at AJ. "I'm sure if you tried, she might talk to you."

She nodded and walked away. Stu looked at Glenn.

"Try not to be so blunt next time, yeah?"

* * *

AJ knocked on the door to Tessa's locker room.

She found it strange that Tessa got her own locker room. Before Phil left, she'd tried multiple times to get a locker room just for them, but management wouldn't let them. Now that she thought about it, though, they didn't really like Phil all that much, which would probably explain that.

At first, she didn't get a response. But then, she heard, "Who is it?"

"Um, it's AJ," She said. "I just wanted to introduce myself and say hi."

She heard the door unlock and it opened. Tessa was still in her silver ring gear, but her hair was now pulled back into a ponytail. She moved out of the way and let AJ in.

"Um…hi," Tessa said, shutting the door.

"Hi," AJ said back. "So, I'm April, but call me AJ. You left a few years ago and we never really got to work together, so I just wanted to introduce myself."

"Yeah, well, I had personal things to take care of," She explained.

"I'm glad you've taken care of them." AJ smiled. "So, do you prefer Tess or Tessa?"

"Tessa," She replied. "I don't want to be associated with my on-screen character. We're completely different people."

"Yeah, I totally get it," AJ said.

"So, you're not really crazy?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," AJ replied. "I'm slightly less crazy than on-screen AJ."

"Ah, I'll be sure not to get on your bad side then," Tessa said, laughing.

Someone knocked on the door and she abruptly stopped. AJ noticed, but didn't say anything about it.

"I'll get it," AJ said, walking over to the door. When she opened it, she raised an eyebrow. "What do you need, Stu?"

"I can't just stop by and say hi to the new Diva?" He asked.

"I'm not new," Tessa said, appearing next to AJ.

Stu blinked. "Well, yeah, I know… I just meant, you know, new to me."

"Smooth, Stu," AJ said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm Tessa," The other woman introduced herself. "Tessa Neal. Don't call me Tess. I hate it."

"I'm Stu Bennett," He said. "Or Wade Barrett, I guess. I prefer Stu, though."

"Well, it was great meeting you guys, but I need to get dressed," Tessa said. "Could you guys go?"

"Oh, yeah!" AJ exclaimed. "C'mon, Stu, let's go. It was nice meeting you, Tessa!"

AJ and Stu exited the locker room. A few feet away from the door were Colby and Glenn, who hadn't been talking until they walked out, which led to them pretending to have a conversation. When AJ and Stu had come out of the room, they'd stopped their talking and stared at them. After struggling for a few seconds to keep a straight face, Colby burst out laughing.

"What?" Stu asked, frowning.

"Dude, you're so awkward!" Colby exclaimed.

"She caught me off-guard," Stu protested, crossing his arms and glaring at the champion.

"Yeah, sure." Colby just smirked.

"Leave him alone, Colby," Glenn said, rolling his eyes.

Eventually, AJ walked away, and Hunter and Stephanie showed up, taking Glenn and Colby with them when they left. Stu realized Jon had left long ago, because he was the only one left.

He began making his way to the locker room when he heard his name.

"Stu?"

He stopped and turned around. It was Tessa. She had changed out of her ring gear, and was now wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and she had her things with her.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Do you have directions back to the hotel?" She asked. "I can barely remember what room I'm staying in, let alone what the street the hotel is on."

"Do you have a rental car?" He asked. Tessa nodded. "I can just drive you back, and you can call the rental company to pick up your car."

"That'll be great," She said. "Thank you so much."

"It's no problem," Stu replied. "Let me get my things and we can go."


	3. Chapter 3

**I know I said I'd be calling everyone by their ring names, but that's just going to be Superstars. Most of the Divas (at least the ones on _Total Divas_ ) go by their ring names anyway. So Superstars will go by their real names, and Divas will go by ring names.**

 **Also, I'll have a link to Tessa's outfits for the photoshoot on my profile, so feel free to check that out!**

 **Okay, on with the story! :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own no one but Tessa Neal. Everyone else belongs to either the WWE or themselves.**

* * *

Stu and Tessa walked out of the arena. Stu headed to his car, while Tessa hurried to her car to grab a few things. Once Stu got the car started and the air going, Tessa returned, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Sorry I took so long," Tessa apologized, buckling her seatbelt.

"You didn't take long at all," Stu said, shaking his head and backing out of the parking spot.

"So, how have we never met before?" Tessa asked after a brief silence.

"I've been out with quite a few injuries," He replied. "I was probably never around long enough to introduce myself."

She nodded. "I think by the time you came back for good, I was gone."

"Yeah, I think that's right," He agreed. "How's it feel to be back in the WWE?"

"You know that rush of adrenaline you get when you hear the crowd cheering for you?" She asked.

"They aren't normally cheering for me." He chuckled.

"Well, I've missed it," She continued, smiling. "It's definitely one of my favorite parts of being back."

"I know what you mean," He agreed. "I'm out with injuries so much, it's great to hear the crowd react to me, even if they are booing me."

She laughed. "If the crowd is reacting, you're doing something right."

"Isn't that the truth?"

The car grew silent. Tessa's eyes wandered outside, watching her surroundings. Stu's mind kept repeating the same question over and over.

 _Where has Tessa been? Why did she leave for so long?_

He knew he couldn't ask her that, though. She'd either get mad or refuse to answer, neither of which he wanted.

Instead, he remained silent. It probably wasn't the best thing to do, but if he opened his mouth to speak, he might end up saying something he'd regret. Tessa made no move to say anything, her eyes remaining on the buildings outside.

Finally, they reached the hotel. They got out of the car and walked inside, where they got their room keys from the front desk. Tessa and Stu were on the same floor, so they went to grab their bags on got on the elevator.

Stu walked her to her room. She unlocked the door and walked a few feet into the room. She stopped. Stu recognized the bright red hair, but Tessa probably didn't.

"Who are you?" Tessa asked, frowning.

The redhead looked up from her phone and smiled. "Oh, hi! I'm Eva Marie. I'm kind of new, so we've never met. Tessa, right?"

"Yeah…" She nodded.

"Is something wrong?" Eva asked.

"It's just…" Tessa said. "I was told I'd have a room to myself."

"Well, I just got told tonight that I'd have a roommate," Eva explained. "I guess it was a last minute thing. I can totally go ask to get a new room if you want."

Tessa shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'm sure you're a nice person. I was just confused, that's all."

"I don't have the _Total Divas_ cameras following me tonight, so you don't have to worry about that," Eva added, smiling.

" _Total Divas_?" Tessa asked.

"You haven't heard of _Total Divas_?"

"I've been gone for three years, remember?" Tessa laughed.

"I have a lot to tell you, then," Eva said.

Tessa looked at Stu. "I think I'm in good hands with Eva. Thanks for driving me, Stu."

"No problem," He said. "I'll see you around, Tessa."

"Bye, Stu!"

The Brit walked away, so Tessa picked up her bag and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. She set her bags by a bed and sat down, looking at Eva.

"So, what's _Total Divas_?" She asked.

* * *

The next morning, Eva's alarm went off. She and Tessa woke up. They had stayed up all night talking about _Total Divas_ , but it was now early in the morning, so they were both regretting it. It was the middle of June, but the Divas had a 4th of July photoshoot to do that morning.

Eva and Tessa took turns taking showers and getting dressed. It didn't matter what they wore there, since they would be changing once they got there. Eva had a car, so she and Tessa rode together.

When they walked inside, they were instantly directed to hair and makeup. Tessa was caked with makeup and her brown hair was curled. She was then directed to wardrobe, where she got to pick out three outfits.

Once Tessa was wearing her first outfit – a white blouse and blue skirt – she stood waiting for Brie Bella to finish. Once she was done, she walked by Tessa, offering her a smile. Tessa went and stood in front of the camera.

Eventually, Tessa was done. She still had to wait for Eva, though, so she put on her original outfit and sat down on a stool. She was close enough to watch the rest of the photoshoot, but not too close where she would be blinded by the flashing lights.

Tessa would have found another Diva to talk to, but she didn't really know a lot of them. Most of the Divas that she'd worked with in the past were gone, and were soon replaced by new Divas, like Eva Marie. While Eva was extremely nice, Tessa knew that some of the girls could be really mean if they wanted to.

The only Divas left that Tessa had worked with before were Natalya – who wasn't at the photoshoot, since she didn't celebrate the 4th of July – and Alicia Fox, who had already left. She'd only briefly gotten to know Nikki and Brie, as they left shortly after her. She had met AJ the night before, but she wasn't in this photoshoot, but Tessa didn't know why. Lillian Garcia was also there, but Tessa had never gotten to know the ring announcer since she'd left before she could. She had come back though, which Tessa was happy about.

Eventually, Tessa pulled out her phone and went on Twitter. She noticed that a tweet she was mentioned in had gotten a lot of retweets and favorites, so she clicked on it. There was a picture of her walking in the parking lot with Stu, and they were talking.

 _"Has **TessWWE** already moved on?"_

* * *

Eva Marie finished her portion of the photoshoot, so she got dressed. When she was done, she noticed Summer Rae getting ready to leave.

"Hey, Summer," Eva said, and the blonde turned around. "Have you met Tessa yet?"

Summer shook her head. "No. Is she here?"

"Yeah, we're about to head back to the hotel," She said. "C'mon, I'll introduce to you to her. She doesn't talk much, but…"

Eva trailed off when she saw Tessa. She was sitting on the floor next to a knocked over stool. Her phone was on the ground next to her, the screen lit up. It looked like she was trying to hold back tears.

Summer picked up her phone and looked at the screen, which was on Twitter. She frowned and showed the tweet to Eva.

"Tessa, are you okay?" Summer asked, handing the phone to Eva. She bent down so she was level with her.

"Don't they understand how much I fucking miss him?" Tessa finally said. Summer looked up at Eva, who shrugged. "I miss him more and more every goddamn day. Why don't they fucking understand?"

"I don't know, Tessa," Summer said, gently. "I'm sure they didn't even think you would see it."

"Nobody can replace him…"

"I'm sure that's true," Summer said. "But would he really want you sitting on the floor, upset? Or would he want you to pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and keep going?"

Tessa was silent. Finally, she stood up and let out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," Tessa apologized. "I don't even know you and I look like a hot mess."

"I'm just glad you're okay," She said. "I'm Summer Rae."

"Tessa Neal," She said. "I'm going to the restroom really quick. I'll be back."

"Take your time," Eva said, smiling and handing her the phone.

Tessa nodded and walked away.

Summer looked at Eva. "Do you know what just happened?"

"No," Eva responded, shaking her head. "Who was she talking about?"

"I don't know," Summer said. "I guess she was talking about whoever that tweet was talking about."

Eva pulled out her phone, tapping the screen and typing some things in. Finally, she stops tapping and her eyes scan the screen. When she's finished, she hands the phone to Summer.

"It's from 2012," Eva said.

Summer read the article. When she finished, she handed the phone to Eva. She was angry.

"Those jerks!" She exclaimed. "Why would they tweet something like that about her? After what she went through? How can they be so disrespectful and inconsiderate?"

Before Eva coul respond, Tessa returned. She smiled at the girls.

"Are you guys hungry?" She asked.

"I'm down for some lunch," Summer said, smiling.

"Awesome!" Tessa said. "Come on!"


	4. Chapter 4

Summer, Eva, and Tessa walked outside. The air outside was hot and dry, with absolutely no breeze. They quickly made their way to Eva's car and piled in. She turned the car on and the cool air flooded the car.

She began driving, and the girls made small talk. Tessa and Summer got to know each other, and by the time they arrived at the restaurant, Tessa was smiling and much calmer than she was at the photoshoot.

They got out of the car, making their way inside.

* * *

"Are you serious?"

Stu and Stephen looked over from their spots to look at Colby, who had just walked in. They were at the arena. Practice rings were set up, and they had both been practicing for about an hour.

"What?" Stu asked. He was catching his breath.

"You guys were supposed to wait for me!" He said.

Stephen frowned. "Jon told us that you weren't coming."

The way Colby rolled his eyes, Stu was sure they were going to roll back into his head. He was obviously annoyed.

"Where is he?" He asked.

"Oh, hey, Colby!" Jon exclaimed, walking into the room. He was smirking. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Jon, you are _so_ lucky that you're my friend," Colby said.

"Why is that?"

"I don't think you want to know," Stu said. He could that Colby was about to say some nasty things, so he decided to put an end to it before he said something he regretted.

Jon just chuckled. "You're probably right, but I still want to hear him say it."

"Colby, just get in the ring," Stephen said. Colby just sighed and did as he was told.

Jon laughed and got in the ring, too.

"One of you is going to murder the other one day, I swear," Stu said, shaking his head.

Colby and Jon needed to warm up, so Stu and Stephen stood on the apron and waited.

"Hey, look," Stephen said, nudging Stu.

Stu looked where Stephen was looking and saw Tessa. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had no makeup on. She was in a ring by herself, running the ropes. When she had stopped, she was facing the other way, holding on to the ropes.

"Hey, Tessa!" Stu yelled. She looked up, startled, and turned around. When she saw him, she smiled and waved. "Why don't you come over here?"

She didn't say anything, just nodded. She slid out of the ring and walked over to them.

"Hey, guys," She greeted, smiling.

"Hello, Tessa," Stephen said. "Were you going to practice by yourself?"

"For a little bit," She responded. "AJ is talking to Hunter, and Nikki and Brie are running a little late, so I'm just waiting for them."

"Practice with us until they get here," Stu suggested.

"Tessa!"

She looked behind her and saw AJ. "Sorry. I'd love to, but I need to practice with AJ. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

She hopped off the apron and walked over to AJ. They walked over to a ring, and began stretching and talking. A few minutes later, Nikki and Brie arrived and they greeted them.

"Stu." He looked away to see Colby and Jon standing in the ring, waiting for him. "Let's start."

He just nodded.

* * *

Stu had just finished his match against Stephen – Sheamus, on-screen – and was now backstage. The Divas match was next, and he was about to watch Tessa wrestle, which he hadn't had the opportunity to see.

"The following match is scheduled for one fall! Making her way to the ring, from Scotsdale, Arizona, being accompanied by Brie: Nikki Bella!"

 _"You can look, but you can't touch."_

The Bellas made their way to the ring. They were talking softly to each other.

"And their opponent, from Baltimore, Maryland: Tess!"

 _"Tonight we are victorious, champagne pouring over us, all my friends were glorious, tonight we are victorious."_

Tess made her way to the ring.

"Is that a new theme?" JBL asked.

"It is," Michael Cole replied. "It's by a band called Panic! at the Disco, and it's called _Victorious._ "

When she got to the ring, new music began playing.

 _"Let's light it up, light it up, light it tonight."_

AJ came skipping out. She skipped around the ring once before stopping at the commentary table, taking a seat next to JBL. She didn't put on a headset, so she wasn't there to do commentary.

The bell rang and the match began.

"This is Tess's first match in three years," Cole said. "So it'll be interesting to see how she does in the ring after being away for so long."

"Nikki Bella is probably using that to her advantage," JBL said. "She's been away for so long, so she's bound to be a little rusty in the ring."

Nikki and Tess locked up. Tess managed to get Nikki to the ground and put her in a chokehold. Nikki struggled, but she managed to get out of it. Tess stood up, grabbing Nikki by the hair and pulling her up. Nikki pushed Tess's arms off of her, Irish whipping her into the corner. Nikki ran up to her, preparing to hit her with a knee, but Tess moved out of the way and she hit the corner with full force. She moved back, grabbing her stomach. Tess hit her with a kick to the legs, and she fell. She grabbed Nikki and pulled her to the middle of the ring, then went for the pin.

"1…"

Nikki kicked out, and Tess stood up, frowning. Nikki slowly stood up, and once she was fully standing, Tess grabbed her and hit her with an STO backbreaker.

"There goes Tess with Punch Drunk!" Cole exclaimed.

Nikki hit the ground, and Tess went for the pin again.

"1…2 – "

Tess was hit in the back, and she rolled off of Nikki.

"The winner of this match, as a result of disqualification: Tess!"

Tess looked up and saw Brie, who was helping Nikki up. Tess stood up, but Nikki and Brie both shoved her to the ground.

"What are Nikki and Brie doing?" JBL asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good," Cole replied.

AJ shot up from her chair and ran to the ring. Nikki and Brie scurried out of it, making sure not to turn their backs on the women in the ring. AJ checked on Tess, making sure she was okay, and helped her up.

"Tess definitely proved tonight that she belongs in that ring," Cole said, as Tess and AJ got out of the ring. "With a new finisher and an ally in AJ Lee, the Bellas definitely need to watch their backs."

Tessa made it backstage, AJ beside her. They began making their way to the Divas locker room.

"Tessa!"

She turned around and saw Stu. He hadn't changed after his match, so he was still in his ring gear.

"Hey." She smiled.

"You were awesome out there," He said. "Was that your finisher at the end?"

"Thanks," She said, blushing slightly. "And yeah, my finisher is called Punch Drunk. My theme is called _Victorious_. It's a line from the song. They're supposed to go together, you know?"

"Makes perfect sense," He said. "It's clever. I wonder how many people will pick up on it."

"I think, eventually, everyone will get it," She said. "At least, I hope so."

He nodded. "So, do you need a ride again?"

"I actually have Eva tonight, so I'm good," Tessa said, smiling. "I'll be sure to let you know when I need a ride, though."

"And I'll be sure to have an empty car," He said.

She laughed. "I'll see you later, Stu."

"Bye, Tessa."


End file.
